1. The Lok Sabha passed a bill to merge three municipal corporations of which city into a single entity?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Delhi
[C] Kolkata
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Delhi]
Notes:
The Lok Sabha passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill seeks to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single and integrated entity, for better planning and optimal utilisation of resources.
Through the bill, the Centre proposed to appoint a ‘Special officer’ who will discharge the functions of the elected wing of councillors till the meeting of the new corporation is held. The bill is expected to give more autonomy to the unified corporation.
2. The world’s largest electric cruise ship has made its maiden voyage in which country?
[A] China
[B] USA
[C] Germany
[D] Australia
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Correct Answer: A [China]
Notes:
The world’s largest electric cruise ship has made its maiden voyage in China, after cruising up and down the Yangtze River and settling into port in Yichang. It is developed by China Yangtze Power.
It is powered by a massive 7,500 kilowatt-hour marine battery from the top battery manufacturer for electric cars, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). The ship will go into commercial operations from next month, to be used mainly for sightseeing trips.
3. ‘Business Blasters’ is a flagship programme of which Indian state/UT?
[A] Karnataka
[B] Kerala
[C] New Delhi
[D] Odisha
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Correct Answer: C [New Delhi]
Notes:
The Business Blasters programme of the Delhi government provides Class 11 and Class 12 students with seed money worth Rs 2000 each for developing business ideas.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government’s business blasters programme should be implemented in colleges and universities. This is to ensure that the entrepreneurial ideas of the students shall be encouraged after school education.
4. Utkal Diwas, celebrated on April 1, is the foundation day of which Indian state?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Odisha
[C] West Bengal
[D] Gujarat
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Correct Answer: B [Odisha]
Notes:
Odisha celebrates the 86th foundation day of the state on April 1, known as ‘Utkal Divas’. It is on the same day that the state became independent in the year 1936.
Utkal Divas, also known as Odisha Day and Utkala Dibasa, commemorates the struggle which gained a separate identity for the state.
5. India recently signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) with which country?
[A] Japan
[B] Germany
[C] Australia
[D] France
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Correct Answer: C [Australia]
Notes:
India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA). It seeks to provide -duty access to 96 per cent of India’s exports to Australia.
The exports include engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textiles, apparel and leather. The pact is expected to boost bilateral trade in goods and services to USD 45-50 billion over five years and generate over one million jobs in India.
6. Which city is the host of the ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ in 2022?
[A] New York
[B] Moscow
[C] Geneva
[D] New Delhi
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Correct Answer: C [Geneva]
Notes:
A draft recommendation on ‘Biodiversity and health’ was released during the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Geneva.
It will be the key focus area of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The convention, a part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was held physically after two years. It involved discussions to address the need and provide guidance for the One Health approach.
7. Which is the first Indian state to issue Digitised ‘J Form’, the sale receipt of agricultural produce?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Gujarat
[C] Punjab
[D] Rajasthan
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Correct Answer: C [Punjab]
Notes:
The Punjab Mandi Board has started sending ‘digital form J’ to the farmers from this Rabi procurement season
‘J form’ is the sale receipt of a farmer’s agricultural produce in mandis (grain market). These forms were earlier issued manually by the Commission agents. This move aims to bring transparency as well as empowering farmers and make Punjab the first state in the country to provide digitised form J in real time.
8. Which is the largest private sector bank of India by assets, as of 2022?
[A] ICICI Bank
[B] HDFC Bank
[C] Axis Bank
[D] Kotak Mahindra Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [HDFC Bank]
Notes:
HDFC Bank and HDFC Limited recently announced the merger of the two entities. HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank by assets, has a market cap of Rs 8.35 trillion.
HDFC Limited, India’s largest housing finance company with Assets Under Management (AUM) worth Rs 5.26 trillion and a market cap of Rs 4.44 trillion will merge with HDFC Bank. The subsidiary or associates of HDFC Limited will also be transferred to HDFC Bank, after regulatory approvals.
9. Which Union Ministry of India launched ‘Temple 360’ portal?
[A] Ministry of Tourism
[B] Ministry of Culture
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of Culture]
Notes:
The Union Culture ministry launched a new portal named Temple 360, through which devotees can perform online rituals of prominent pilgrimage sites.
Live camera feeds across temples of India will be made available on the website. At present, live streaming of rituals from four temples: Somnath (Gujarat), Kashi Vishwanath (UP), Trimbakeshwar and Ghrishneshwar (both in Maharashtra) can be viewed on the portal.
10. Which Union Ministry oversees the ‘Stand Up India Scheme’?
[A] Ministry of MSME
[B] Ministry of Finance
[C] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
[D] Ministry of Science and Technology
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of Finance]
Notes:
Ministry of Finance oversees the ‘Stand Up India Scheme’, which aims to promote entrepreneurship among women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, to help them in starting a Greenfield enterprise.
The scheme has completed six years and loans worth more than ₹30,160 crore have been sanctioned in the last six years. Over 1.33 lakh new entrepreneurs have been facilitated and more than 1 lakh women promoters have benefitted from this Scheme during the last six years.